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| trail ride thursday almost as good as taco tuesday |
I basically have a bunch of random pictures to dump and zero motivation to write individual posts so you get everything all at once.
In chronological order since my gush fest last week, we have: logged two more hours for our TIP recreational 25 hour badge which leaves us with just two hours left, hitched Opie and drove him around the outdoor like a real horse, and had a meltdown over leg yields.
That...doesn't actually seem like that much I guess. But those three things were big things!
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| so many places to wander at the park |
On Thursday I trailered out to Mendon by myself to get a couple hours in. Opie was a complete star for his solo trailering--loaded, unloaded, and rode over without making a peep or causing any drama. As we were exploring a new-to-Opie part of the park and he was marching along on a loose rein, I was still riding the previous day's high of how good this kiddo is. So easy! So fun!
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| we are one with the deer |
Then we looped back to our usual circuit. He had to pass through the channel into the small off-shoot of the pond and didn't really wanna. It was the slowest backing refusal of my life, and I just sat there until he got bored and plowed into the water, at which point he remembered he loves water and spent a few minutes splashing before carrying on.
Halfway around the pond we stopped at the beach where Opie immediately made a beeline into the water. I pulled my phone out to snap a picture and then grab a video of his splashing party. Only the splashing party quickly devolved into, "WE'RE GOING SWIMMING I LOVE SWIMMING!!!"
I was laughing so hard by the time I steered this sinking ship back ashore I was almost in tears. Also I was very cold and covered in pond muck.
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| my poor, poor saddle got the vip treatment when we got home. aquaman got chucked in his field with no groomies. bad, aquaman! |
Opie showed ZERO remorse in his decision and kept trying to drag me back into the water as we left the beach to hustle back to the trailer where I could put on dry shoes. 0/10 recommend fully submerged swimming in 55*.
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| this face is opie in a nutshell. he's such an unapologetic toddler still. |
He got Friday off, and then Saturday evening Hubby and I went out to the barn once lessons were all wrapped up to get some more driving work in. This whole once a week thing is a drag, but at this point in his learnin' it's absolutely not safe to work with him in the cart solo. Lessons go on late during the week, and we seem to always be doing something Sundays, so Saturday is driving day.
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| awww yiss |
I took Opie for one lap of ring with just the lines, and then parked him right in front of the cart. No snooting around this time, it was his second time getting hitched so in he went. Then he immediately got to come right back out again so Hubby could saw off the obscenely long ends of the shafts. I don't know who this cart was made for, but Opie certainly didn't need 89" shafts.
Once that was done, back in he went. I had Hubby at his head this time attached with a lead rope while I took the lines behind the cart and drove him from the ground. Twice around like that, Hubby unhooked the rope but stayed close, and then twice more around.
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| walking in a ring doesn't make for the most exciting pictures |
After that Hubby got reattached and I hopped in the cart!
Opie was a little tense for the first couple laps as I got myself sorted out and remembered how to steer--as in, I can still pull my inside rein just as well in a cart as I can under saddle. #thatsnotagoodthing
He got a little jiggy and tense for all of five strides when I got him too close to the puddle and he had to pull us out, and another time when we changed directions and I steered him too close to a standard and sent the jumping crashing (Um, about my steering. I swear it was better by the end.). He was less concerned with the noise and more worried about the cart banging around into him. "It's touching me!"
But he came right back both times, Hubby gave him candies (and I bailed the second time he spazzed because we were headed directly into a fence and he wasn't listening to Hubby so I ran up to his head and also gave him some candy), and we were able to go around with no Hubby attached (around the 1:40 mark in the video). Not visually exciting, but a super next step in the process.
He got Sunday off as well since I had to drive down to PA for Riding Bestie's baby shower and then make it back in time for prime time sportsball (You're welcome for carrying that load until 11:30, Emma.). This morning it was back to the dressage grind.
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| slobber party |
He was fan-fucking-tastic to warm up w/t/c. Then I went to start work on the leg yields and all hell broke loose. We had a CTJ about how he can move his hind end sideways; and he does know what I'm asking; and no, running away, rearing, or moving every body part in a different direction doesn't get you out of doing it. Once that tantrum was over, he gave me a couple of perfectly acceptable leg yields both directions.
And then we finished with the loveliest trot lengthenings yet.
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| no grudges held. he left his hay for snoot scratches after his "you have legs" battle. |
Phew, now I don't feel like I'm responsible for media for the rest of the week!
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